Pesto

The classic Italian pesto is a rich, aromatic paste of basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Traditionally prepared with a mortar and pestle, it's served with pasta and thinly sliced boiled potatoes, or as a flavoring for soups.But pesto variations abound, in Italy and around the world.Some Italians chop the ingredients and, in autumn, substitute walnuts for pine nuts. In northern Spain, pesto finds its counterpart in Catalan cuisine, where a "picada" includes pounded pine nuts, almonds and hazelnuts mixed with garlic, parsley and olive oil. In southern France, tomatoes are pureed along with basil, garlic and oil to make "pistou," a sauce that is stirred into soups just before serving.

Buying pesto at Atwater's in Belvedere Square, we learned that you can save a few calories if you break from tradition. A 1/4 -cup serving of CIBO Naturals cilantro-lime pesto saves 60 calories, 5 grams fat and 2 grams saturated fat over the classic basil version. It's also lower in sodium. Kate Shatzkin CIBO Naturals classic basil pesto Per 1/4 cup: 330 calories 34 grams fat 5 grams saturated fat 3 grams carbohydrate 1 gram fiber 10 milligrams cholesterol 260 milligrams sodium CIBO Naturals cilantro-lime pesto Per 1/4 cup: 270 calories 29 grams fat 3 grams saturated fat 2 grams carbohydrate Trace fiber 5 milligrams cholesterol 160 milligrams sodium

* Item: Mueller's Savory Collection Flavored Pasta* What you get: 6 servings* Cost: About $2.25* Preparation time: 5 to 8 minutes stove top* Review: I think flavored pastas are one of the most versatile products on supermarket shelves. As a fan, I was looking forward to trying Mueller's new line. But Pesto Linguine and Pesto Cavatappi were the only winners in the bunch. Mueller may be on to something there, since there aren't a lot of decent basil-flavored pastas on the mass market. But the other flavors were disappointing.

A casual buffet combines the best of two Easter traditions: the after-church brunch and the egg hunt. Guests help themselves to fork and finger foods while the kids gather hidden goodies. Children are free to roam and nibble at their leisure.And a menu that features do-ahead and takeout components ensures that you won't be hopping madly about the kitchen.Start with that pillar of traditional Easter menus, the ham, and give it a surprise twist. Sandwich the prebaked, sliced ham in rosemary-orange muffins with a dollop of honey mustard.

Recipe magicPick a card, any card -- say, tandoori chicken with cucumber raita, or barbecued onions -- from the new Fanfare series of cookbooks from Time-Life (1997, $12.95 each). The books, due in bookstores this month, have stiff pages that fan out of the cover, which then becomes a stand, holding the recipe so you can see it. So far the series includes books on grilling, vegetarian foods, salads and pasta. Future titles will include chicken dishes and desserts.A holiday giftThe Jewish Kosher Food Pantry is collecting donations to make Passover brighter for needy families and individuals.

From the isle of Capri off the coast of southern Italy comes a fresh mozzarella cheese so mild and velvety that once you've sampled it, you want to devour it at every meal.Also from that area of the Amalfi coast comes a style of pizza so divinely simple that the pure flavors shine.Here is a pizza inspired by my recent travels to that region.To accompany the pizza, serve a "quick-cut" Italian vegetable soup. If you use a canned soup, add some fresh or frozen Italian-style vegetables, such as Italian style green beans or sliced zucchini.

It would be hard to find a speedier and more suitable recipe for summer grilling than pesto-doused Chicken Spiedini with colorful vegetables. Spiedini is nothing more than the Italian name for skewered foods or a kebab, and it certainly sounds fast. Grilling time should be less than 12 minutes and the prep is very simple.You may find this treatment for the pesto to be rather unusual, for it is brushed on liberally after the spiedini have been grilled rather than serving as a marinade and grilling sauce.

Call it "entertainaphobia:" A terrible fear of offering spontaneous hospitality.Symptoms include avoiding after-church and pre-big-game conversations for fear of blurting out an invitation, and hiding in a closet when the doorbell rings.Problems may be acute at holiday time, when old friends are more likely to drop by, neighbors might come a-caroling, and children gather with friends home from school.Put that fear aside. With a little planning, a little shopping and a little strategic hoarding, you can pull a party out of your pantry on a moment's notice.

It's official. Broccoli is g-o-o-o-o-o-d for you. Superfood. Just what the doctor ordered.In fact, in light of a report from scientists at Johns Hopkins University yesterday, even such notorious broccoli haters as former President George Bush may have to eat the stuff.Researchers at Hopkins found that broccoli contains an abundance of a chemical called sulforaphane, which is credited with preventing or slowing the development of breast cancer in mice. The chemical also occurs in Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy and other members of the cruciferous family.

Anyone who has given a cocktail party knows the little nibbles called for at such events can be as difficult to put together as a four-course meal.Here are two ideas for summer parties. Both recipes include do-ahead steps, and they can be served at room temperature.Mexican sausageand bean tartletsMakes 24 tartletsPASTRY:6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened3 ounces cream cheese, softened1 cup all-purpose flour1/2 cup yellow cornmeal1/4 teaspoon saltFILLING:6 ounces chorizo sausage2 green onions, cut in pieces1/4 cup cilantro leaves1 hot chili pepper1 can (15 ounces)

As soon as the first snowflake falls in Garrett County, basil plants in Baltimore fold for the season. That is an exaggeration, but only a slight one. Basil is a weather wimp, the first plant to swoon when the temperatures dip near freezing, if only for a few hours. One day it is green, leafy and verdant and the next it is black, woody and kaput. Cue the leaf pickers. As soon as there is a slight chill in the air, they start plucking basil leaves from the plants, turning them into a variety of dishes but mainly pesto.

Buying pesto at Atwater's in Belvedere Square, we learned that you can save a few calories if you break from tradition. A 1/4 -cup serving of CIBO Naturals cilantro-lime pesto saves 60 calories, 5 grams fat and 2 grams saturated fat over the classic basil version. It's also lower in sodium. Kate Shatzkin CIBO Naturals classic basil pesto Per 1/4 cup: 330 calories 34 grams fat 5 grams saturated fat 3 grams carbohydrate 1 gram fiber 10 milligrams cholesterol 260 milligrams sodium CIBO Naturals cilantro-lime pesto Per 1/4 cup: 270 calories 29 grams fat 3 grams saturated fat 2 grams carbohydrate Trace fiber 5 milligrams cholesterol 160 milligrams sodium

A let's-get-a-few-friends-together soiree begs for party snacks with a few surprise ingredients - bite-size turnovers that have personality and that go down perfectly with either a glass of crisp, cool white wine or a light summer ale. These are life-of-the-party appetizers. Green and leafy watercress puts a peppery twist on traditional spanakopita, and fresh herbs and wild mushrooms class up mini calzones with truffle cheese. Ripe plantains used as the "dough" for festive vegetarian empanadas are a sweet-savory indulgence, light enough for a summer evening.

OK, so you've got a food processor, blender, hand mixer and / or stand mixer -- and knives -- in your kitchen. Why add an electric mini chopper? Sometimes all you need is a little power -- to finely chop a cup of nuts, puree a small amount of homemade mayonnaise or baby food, mix up a bit of pesto. Mini choppers are not for everyone. But if you're constantly processing just a little of this or that, these mighty mites can come in handy. Note, though, that larger foods still may have to be chopped into 1-inch pieces for best results.

Many Italians consider the traditional crushing of fresh herbs, garlic, parmesan cheese and olive oil in a mortar and pestle the only way to make a true pesto sauce. While fresh basil and parsley are the ingredients for the classic pesto, almost any herb or vegetable can be used. Sun-dried tomatoes have an intense, sweet flavor and make a flavorful pesto sauce. Pine nuts, also called pignoli, are essential for an authentic pesto. They are small seeds of the Mediterranean stone pine. They can be found in the spice, nuts or baking section of the supermarket.

Most of us know pesto as the popular sauce of fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese (walnuts and/or pecorino are used instead in some versions). And so it is, but pesto also can refer to other sauces, writes Beverly Cox in Classic Italian Cooking for the Vegetarian Gourmet. The word merely means "pounded," which is how the sauce is traditionally prepared with mortar and pestle. This pesto variation takes advantage of fresh chives. The sauce is used as a flavor intensifier - dotted on the finished dish instead of being stirred in. Joe Gray writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis.

This combo of pesto, artichoke and toasted pine nuts is based on the "Pete's a Pie" pizza served at Randy's Wooster Street, a small chain of pizza shops in Connecticut. This pie epitomizes what I call the New Haven school of pizza-making: super-thin pies sparingly adorned with flavorful ingredients, then baked to an appealing crispness at super-high temperatures in wood- or coal-fired ovens. Your home oven won't get the crust quite as crisp but the pizza still will be delicious. Tips Varieties of ready-made pizza doughs or crusts are available at supermarkets.

Pesto is a wonderful paste of basil, cheese, nuts, garlic and olive oil that can be used in a number of dishes. A few tablespoons add flavor to soups and casseroles. Stir a teaspoon into mayonnaise for a sandwich. Mix a cup of it into hot pasta and add fresh chopped tomatoes and black olives for a light supper. Slathered on fresh bread and toasted, it's a delicious hors d'oeuvre. Pesto can easily be frozen in small batches for use all winter. For every two cups of fresh leaves (no stems)

* Item: Mueller's Savory Collection Flavored Pasta* What you get: 6 servings* Cost: About $2.25* Preparation time: 5 to 8 minutes stove top* Review: I think flavored pastas are one of the most versatile products on supermarket shelves. As a fan, I was looking forward to trying Mueller's new line. But Pesto Linguine and Pesto Cavatappi were the only winners in the bunch. Mueller may be on to something there, since there aren't a lot of decent basil-flavored pastas on the mass market. But the other flavors were disappointing.

A casual buffet combines the best of two Easter traditions: the after-church brunch and the egg hunt. Guests help themselves to fork and finger foods while the kids gather hidden goodies. Children are free to roam and nibble at their leisure.And a menu that features do-ahead and takeout components ensures that you won't be hopping madly about the kitchen.Start with that pillar of traditional Easter menus, the ham, and give it a surprise twist. Sandwich the prebaked, sliced ham in rosemary-orange muffins with a dollop of honey mustard.